Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Heart of the Demon Realm (5)
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Block flowing water, and eventually it will burst. Especially ambition, which burns far hotter and fiercer than mere water.
Emperor Leonis. A sage ruler whose blood ran with ambition for the empire's revival, one he suppressed to finally raise the empire from its knees.
Yet after a lifetime of restraint, frustration with the nobility eating away at him, and overwork fueling his rage-induced illness, he died suddenly.
The centralized power, upheld purely by Emperor Leonis's ability and charisma, finally crumbled under the Council of Nobles.
In response, Siegfried, who succeeded Leonis as emperor, sensed the crisis and recklessly ignited a war.
To unite an empire slowly cracking at the seams, nothing beat a common enemy.
The Continental War.
This was the root cause of the Continental War scenario. The emperor's abrupt death and the political chaos that followed.
However, Cain Blackguard's intrusion into the scenario shattered the initial Continental War storyline.
First off, Emperor Leonis, who should have already passed from illness and exhaustion, was still alive and well.
Moreover, he even had the luxury to solidify his rule in advance, handing the throne intact to the crown prince.
So Crown Prince Siegfried wasn't rushing things; he was steadily joining the demon realm subjugation to cement his position.
The empire's Council of Nobles, already on shaky ground, found their influence shrinking even further thanks to Cain Blackguard.
But even with the initial scenario broken, the Continental War was inevitable. Driven by the will thirsting for blood...
War was slowly tightening its noose.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A training ground specially prepared for knights' drills and practice. There, a black-haired man gripped a blood-red sword.
The ominous blade, shrouded in a crimson haze, resembled a demonic sword from legend. Yet his opponent showed no sign of yielding.
Instead, she licked her lips as if savoring the taste, her face brimming with pure bloodlust.
"The chill brushing my skin... nothing beats a real sword fight for that thrill and flavor."
"You done yapping?"
"Of course!!"
Sword Ghost Scardi erupted in mad laughter and charged at Cain. In response, Cain swung his sword with all his might.
Kaboom!!
A deafening roar that tore at the eardrums. Pushed back purely by raw power, Cain faced Scardi's merciless assault.
Soon, her blade fell like lightning toward his head... and Cain's vision went black.
"The chill brushing my skin... nothing beats a real sword fight for that thrill and flavor."
"Fuck."
Thanks to Defeat Regression activating, Cain clicked his tongue and swung his sword with full force once more.
Why was he putting himself through this misery? Two reasons. First, it was a reward for those who'd suffered.
Cain had anticipated this and offered other prizes... but the siblings flat-out refused.
Thus, he was stuck suffering under Sword Ghost and Sword Radiance—the sword-mad siblings. Still, it wasn't all bad.
"Hoo..."
Cain let out a deep sigh. He needed to grow much stronger than this. Impatience was rising to his chin.
His current strength wasn't at Master level, but close enough. At least he could buy some time.
Of course, holding out against a Master without dying instantly was impressive in itself.
But it wasn't enough. "Impressive" wouldn't cut it against the deaths looming ahead.
Cain knew this was a game world, so he understood better than anyone that it followed the scenario.
The last remaining scenario was probably the Continental War... a world war, essentially.
'The problem is, I've never played the original game, let alone the Continental War scenario, even once.'
If he were a game veteran or had at least read the original novel, he wouldn't be this worried.
Unfortunately, Cain fit neither bill, so he had no choice but to build his power amid the anxiety.
At least his experience with the Alliance scenario let him predict their forces to some degree.
'The Alliance's strongest unit is the Titan... a steel golem forged by dwarves and gnomes working together...'
Surprisingly, dwarves and gnomes didn't get along. Dwarves were rough, booze-loving Viking types...
Gnomes were refined, or bluntly put, stuck-up old fogeys. Their nickname was even "dwarf elves"...
With polar opposite personalities and overlapping territories, they were bound to clash.
Yet these fire-and-water rivals united seamlessly, combining only their strengths.
The result? The mechanical golem known as the Titan. Its description alone boasted tech centuries ahead.
In a war against the Alliance, Titans would be the biggest obstacle. He had to overcome that somehow.
"This is fun—it's been ages since I felt truly alive. Entertain me more!"
"Sis! It's my turn next. At least follow the order, please!"
'But first...'
Surviving these sword-crazed siblings came priority.
There was a trope in wuxia novels: fighting for three days and nights without rest. It always raised questions.
How do they eat or sleep? Hell, how do they even take a piss? Cain had wondered that himself.
Why past tense? Because he'd just learned the answer. Simple: steel yourself to die, and anything's possible.
'These lunatics come at me non-stop for three days straight, then pile on together at the end? I really thought I was done for.'
Worse, Defeat Regression kept triggering amid it all, forcing him to fight on just to survive.
Cain sighed. He needed to prepare for war with the Alliance. Sparring was part of that.
Personally, he'd prefer no war at all... but no one knew what fate held.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Every faction has its hardliners and moderates. The Alliance was no exception.
Unlike the empire, where even the imperial family leaned hardline, the Alliance's hardliners held little sway.
At its core, the Alliance formed to counter the empire—its roots demanded avoiding outright clashes. Except for a tiny few nations.
Among its members were those with fiery ambitions and others nursing hatred for the empire.
And one nation hated the empire more than any: the kingdom invaded just a year prior.
"Your Majesty, how can armed brigands stand in this sacred hall?"
The royal palace. Seat of the highest rulers. Drawing a weapon without the king's permission was a grave crime among grave crimes.
Yet knights and soldiers unhesitatingly aimed their blades at the sturdy young man with white hair and blue eyes.
No nobles stopped them; they just watched... The implication was crystal clear.
Aiming weapons at royalty without the king's permission was treason. Or put another way... permission made it possible.
Even in his half-mad state, the youth couldn't miss such blatant intent.
Crown Prince Andre. Once hailed as the talent to revive the kingdom... now just a raving lunatic.
"Crown Prince, I'll ask one last time here. Do you still refuse to bend your will, even slightly?"
"Your Majesty, I dream every night. Dreams of my precious gem covered in blood, desperately calling for me..."
Andre doted on his siblings excessively, but he could still discern right from wrong at minimum.
Yet lately, his state was unmistakably unhinged. Suddenly demanding war with the empire,
and even getting ejected from a gathering of all Alliance leaders after openly calling for it.
At wits' end, the king finally drew his sword. Against his crown prince, lost to vain delusions and aimless hatred spilling as rage.
"It's just a dream."
"I'm not so foolish as to mistake even a dream, Your Majesty. Especially one lasting half a year."
[Oppa...]
[Anna? Is that you?!]
[It's so cold it tears at my skin, and it hurts so much... Where is this place?]
Every night, cold darkness came, and sinking into the sea called sleep brought Anna without fail.
Her clothes shredded to rags, blood and wounds visible through the gaps. He always reached out.
But before touching the pitiful girl, she vanished like mist before his eyes.
At first, he thought it mere nightmare. Or wanted to believe so. But now he knew for sure.
...It was the desperate, anguished signal from his one and only precious gem...
How wondrous. The rage blinding him faded, the boiling hatred subsided completely.
"Your Majesty, I'm not mad. I simply see the path clearly now."
At those words, the knights encircling the crown prince abruptly reversed their blades completely.
Fountains of blood erupted, chunks of flesh rained down, screams filled the air. Andre watched it all without missing a beat.
The will of blood continues unbroken.